RT Journal
A1 Pittman JE, Van Rie A, Davis SD
T1 Spirometry in biracial children: How adequate are race-based reference equations?
JF Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JO Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
YR 2011
FD June 1
VO 165
IS 6
SP 573
OP 574
DO 10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.76
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.76
AB 
Spirometric reference equations are typically stratified by race because of racial differences in lung function, particularly between black and white individuals, at least in part because of black individuals having a smaller thorax to leg length ratio, and thus smaller lung volumes for a given height, than white individuals.1- 2 Use of race-based pulmonary function equations is especially problematic in biracial/multiracial individuals, who compose an increasing portion of the US population,3 as lung physiology may not simply be an average of their composite races; use of race in pulmonary function testing has recently been questioned.4 To our knowledge, no spirometric reference equations exist for biracial or multiracial individuals.